It was clear to the vet upon our first visit back in March with Molly that the dog we adopted was a good fit for our family. He was referring to her energetic personality.

We now see that she is a good fit for our family in another way–her size. The Johanik boys are a bit on the burly side. For example, the velcro on Derek’s football cleats doesn’t even come close to fitting around his beefy ankles (or as Jim would say, what ankles?). In the same way, Molly is on the stocky side for a lab. Not fat, just big-boned.

For kicks, the kids and I decided to put together a costume for the dog so she could join them trick-or-treating. Our first stop was Joann Fabrics to look at available dog costume patterns. What we discovered was that nearly all the patterns were made for small dogs (as in toy or teacup, as these kinds of rodents dogs are referred to). But lo and behold, we finally found one pattern made for “large dogs”. The model on the front was even a yellow lab.

After putting together the basic shape of the costume, I thought I’d better try it on Molly before continuing so as not to waste unnecessary time if it didn’t fit right.

Well, good thing for the tryout. The hot pink satin fabric was stretched to its limit on her back, and there was no way the shirt would come up on her shoulders.  I needed at least another yard of fabric to make it fit.

But all was not lost. I was able to turn the shirt into a little skirt and then sew some elastic in for the waist. Now the challenge will be keeping the dog from chewing it to shreds…

6th grade, 3rd grade, and kindergarten. Whew.

As for the little guy and the dog, well, they enjoyed some extra free time today (note the stockpile of airplanes in JP’s arms).

If I were a writer, and if I were to write a book…I would write a book about weeds. Yes, I know, it’s a strange topic, and people wouldn’t exactly be lining up at bookstores to buy it, but let me explain.

Every time I pull weeds in our yard, I am reminded of something that pertains to life. And sometimes as I’m pulling with a double grip on a prickly, gnarly, deeply rooted stem, a verse from the Bible pops into my head. If Jesus used farming and weeds as parables of life lessons, then I think this is something worth considering. If I’ve ever asked why God created weeds, He seems to answer by means of an analogy. If you think about it, weeds are symbolic of sin.

They’re bad, they’re ugly, and they are destructive. Just like sin in my life.

As I was weeding in the yard last week, I observed some interesting characteristics about these unwanted, uncultivated plants. Take this beauty, for instance.

Not only did it sprout up fast, it shot way up and right out in the open. Like it’s taunting the plants around it, boasting of the ground that it is consuming. Do you know sin like that? It doesn’t care who sees it, it boldly makes itself known to everyone around. There’s no attempt on a person’s part to hide it, in fact, sometimes the sin even defines the person.

Then, in contrast, look at this one:

This perhaps could be even more destructive than the ugly, proud loner weed against the house. This one is going right for the jugular: sinking its roots down where a healthy, fruit-bearing plant is already growing. The weed vies for sunlight and nutrients from the ground, threatening to destroy the tomato plant. I’ve observed some weeds that grow near a young cultivated plant, and it’s hard to distinguish which is which.

Do you see the challenge for parents in this picture? There could be the sin of selfishness growing in my child’s heart, and maybe I unknowingly help it grow by making my child the center of my world…it’s easy to do when kids are small and so doggone cute. Give them whatever they want, make them the center of attention at all times. But before I know it, my child becomes prideful, demanding and inconsiderate of others. That’s not so cute. That’s sin (a weed) consuming my child’s heart. Over time, it shows itself to be the ugly thing that it is.

And the longer a weed is allowed to grow, the more difficult it is to uproot. The roots go deeper, the weed becomes stronger. When it comes to uprooting sin in my life (or in my kids’ lives), there is only so much I can do. I can alter my behavior by discontinuing bad habits (consider the tv shows I watch, the magazines I read, the amount of time I spend on the computer, etc.); but there is only One who can totally free me from the destruction of sin.

Thankfully, when Jesus died, He took on all sin of all kinds. The only way for sin to be uprooted in my life is by trusting in Him; only Jesus Christ can cleanse my heart. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

In contrast, if a person does not admit one’s sin before God and does not confess Jesus as the only means to eternal life, that person is considered an enemy of God. The weeds in the following verses represent people who do not believe and follow Jesus Christ. “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:40-42)

Let the lesson brought out from weed-plants motivate you to examine where you stand before God. “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Hebrews 4:7)

There are so many more great symbols that weeds offer; stay tuned for more.

For the past five years, Derek has aspired to fly one of these:

This is no small aspiration. To become an Air Force Thunderbird (or Navy Blue Angel) pilot requires an immense amount of time, training, and guts.

Derek’s other big interest is football, which he finally gets to participate in this season, along with Peter.

Well, guess what I learned this morning. Derek’s football coach is a former Navy fighter pilot. The guy used to fly F/A-18s. Probably off of aircraft carriers. When I told Derek, his eyes lit up. Kind of neat when two loves come together like that.

(The following pictures are unrelated, but I need to share them because of the high cuteness factor. The NYFL opened the league to 5 year-olds for the first time this year, so we decided to let Peter play. After picking up his helmet and pads, he wore them for 48 hours straight. He is so excited to share this with his big brother, and as you can see, is taking the sport quite seriously.)

Not too far behind him is Jeremy…wishing he was a couple years older.

The army fatigues make it, no?

submitted by Jim

There are 613,746 pilots in the US.  I am one of them.

There are 325,247 pilots who possess an instrument rating, the FAA’s first-in-a-series of ‘professional’ ratings and the most difficult to obtain. It’s like organic chemistry for a pre-med major – the weeder course of aviation.  As of last Tuesday, August 11, after 40 hours of flight training and 15 hours of ground training over a two year time period, a two hour written examination, a two hour oral exam and a three hour exam flight, I finally became instrument rated.

As I reflect on the countless hours I spent pouring through the Bible-sized FAA Federal Aviation Regulations and Aeronautical Information Manual, DVDs, study guides and whatnot, I cannot help but consider the amount of knowledge and training the government requires before allowing someone to fly in the clouds without visual reference to the ground. I then reflected on the amount of time I studied with the same intensity the Bible-sized Bible – God’s manual for flying by faith without visual reference of the spiritual realm. No doubt priorities were askew, but lessons learned.

When I fly by instruments, I have to prepare in advance for the day ahead. First I check the weather and ask myself is it even safe to fly today? Forecasted thunderstorms, ice in the clouds and extreme turbulence are not things that pilots willingly subject themselves to.  They are to be avoided at all cost.  Either I am to fly around them, or not fly at all. Sounds a lot like looking ahead and avoiding situations where sin and temptation could ultimately undo me.

Second, I file a flight plan based on where I would like to go.  This serves as a form of communication with others and the FAA that they will know where I will be flying at all times – Accountability.  However, every time I file where I want to go, Air Traffic Control (ATC) amends my file to where they want me to go. ATC no doubt understands where I want to go, but they also know where everyone wants to go and they work hard on making sure we all don’t bump into each other 10,000 feet in the sky in the clouds. Omniscience – I find God altering my desired course all too often too.

After preparing and filing, I have to actually fly, perform.  As ATC barks out commands, I have to follow them – no exceptions. I have to be mentally ‘with it’ – no excuses allowed. When they say climb to 9,000 feet, it’s 9,000 feet plus or minus 100 feet, that’s it.  If I fail to maintain that, I’m getting a friendly reminder that I am not complying. Obedience, plain and simple. The alternative to obeying is a close encounter with a 500 foot radio tower, another aircraft, fuel exhaustion or simply flying off course.

After this observation, shouldn’t we challenge each other in our faith in the same manner the FAA challenges pilots? Is not our walk with the Lord and the eternal life He gives immeasurably more important than a pilot license that will lose all authority the moment I die? When was the last time I asked someone to test me for two hours on how well I understood the Bible? How would I do? I’m not sure I want to know.

Friends of ours from Iowa, the Martins, came to stay with us a couple weeks ago.

The kids gathered around the breakfast table for my Mom’s delish french breakfast puffs–all 48 lasted all of 15 minutes.

Though we don’t get to see them often, we enjoy their friendship.

They were troupers and bunked in the basement, which brought the number of people sleeping under one roof to 13…14 if you count the one person in utero. Jim and I love when our house is used to its fullest potential. We love it because we know that it isn’t our house in the first place. It belongs to God.

I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,

for every animal of the forest is Mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.

I know every bird in the mountains,
and the creatures of the field are Mine.

If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is Mine, and all that is in it. (Psalm 50:9-12)

If you really stop to think about it, it’s a relief to know that everything belongs to a God who holds all things together by His powerful hand. So those cattle on a thousand hills (or houses in a thousand subdivisions; or cars in a thousand parking lots; or kids in a thousand schools…) are ultimately His responsibility.

One of my favorite quotes on this subject was spoken by John Wesley, a man who lived in the 1700s. Wesley was traveling home one day, and one distraught man rode his horse up to him, shouting, “Mr. Wesley, something terrible happened! Your house burned to the ground!” Wesley weighed the news, then calmly replied, “No. The Lord’s house burned to the ground. That means one less responsibility for me.”

It’s all His.

With five males in the household who practically live and breathe airplanes*, what better destination to travel to than the OshKosh airshow?

*typical daily activities: building paper airplanes, building lego airplanes, reading airplane spotter guides, watching WWII airplane battle reenactments, playing with airplane models, making airplane sounds with every movement (by age 2, Jeremy knew the difference between a propeller sound and a jet sound), and the list goes on…

Future fighter pilot Peter:

Waiting for the air show to begin…

To be chanted to the tune of “This is the House that Jack Built”.

This is the foot that got a big bruise.

This is the rock that fell on the foot that got a big bruise.

This is the rail that suspended the rock that fell on the foot that got a big bruise.

This is the dog that bumped into the rail that suspended the rock that fell on the foot that got a big bruise.

This is the girl who cried out in pain to the dog that bumped into the rail that suspended the rock that fell on the foot that got a big bruise.

This is the boy who took care of the girl who cried out in pain to the dog that bumped into the rail that suspended the rock that fell on the foot that got a big bruise.

The end.

*postscript: after a trip to the orthopedic doctor, the unofficial (no x-ray) diagnosis was that the foot is not broken. I am thankful to God for His protection.

Do you ever see experiences in life as analogies to deeper things? It’s easy to miss good life lessons if we look at events or circumstances merely at face value.

Last weekend, Jim and I flew to Holland, MI and back in the Cessna. The flight back was a bit dicey due to gusty winds and showers–nothing to be worried about, Mom, just a little turbulent. We flew through three or four showery systems, and I observed the same thing every time.

Although the flight was smooth as silk before entering the rain, I could see the dark clouds and precipitation ahead, and felt my heart rate accelerate. Sometimes when life is going well…the streams of abundance flow…God gives us a glimpse of the upcoming storm. Sometimes through a “feeling” as His Spirit testifies with our spirit (Romans 8:16) and sometimes in more tangible and visible ways.

Just before entering the rain, we experienced the most turbulence because the weather changed from good to not-so-good. Don’t you find that being in the midst of change can be the most difficult? I was comfortable before this change, for crying out loud. We were flying smoothly, everything was in my favor. Why change things?

This is what God brought to my attention on that hour-plus flight: once we were in the rain, the turbulence calmed down. It was strangely calmer being in the storm than it was entering the storm. It reminds me of Jesus’ promise in John 16: “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” That’s incredible…He is promising that I’ll have trouble in my life, and at the same time promising real peace. So even in the midst of a storm, it can be calm because of the peace Jesus gives.

Once we passed through the rain system, the sky was clear and smooth. (That is, until the next patch of dark clouds! ) But what a great picture of life, and an analogy of the verse in Romans that says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Getting back from a little snooze, so to speak, in the blogging arena.

I have much to write about…serious and not so serious…but these things will remain as thoughts in my head until I have more time to sit, type, and of course add pictures.

Just want to share our day with you in the next few pictures. First off, as of yesterday, Molly is officially sterile. She is recovering nicely from her surgery, thanks to a gorgeous collar and some sedatives.

She’s getting lots of love…

And secondly. A picture which–I think–accurately captures life with four boys. I went in to the bathroom and found some kind of foreign substance on the toilet seat (no photo here…we like to keep it clean on this website) and also saw this:

That’s it. We’re going to have to live here for the rest of our lives. Or until the house collapses on top of us.